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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25802908">Sweet Like This</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kindassunshine/pseuds/Kindassunshine'>Kindassunshine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dark-Hunter Series - Sherrilyn Kenyon, The Chronicles of Nick - Sherrilyn Kenyon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, Blood Drinking, Hand Jobs, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:35:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25802908</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kindassunshine/pseuds/Kindassunshine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In the middle of the night, Nick’s awoken by unknown forces testing the protections around him. He’s shaken but Caleb knows how best to comfort him.  </p><p>Set during <i>Inferno</i>.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nick Gautier/Caleb Malphas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sweet Like This</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Light spills all around him as Nick feels silken limbs sliding along his, barely distinguishable from the silken sheets against his back. Cool hands strokes over his skin, soft lips brush his. His hips flex up into her as soft hair traces across his chest. </p><p>Suddenly she’s gripping him by the shoulder — hand tight and hot as a brand. Nick groans, blinking in semi-darkness of his bedroom, as he surfaces into consciousness. Nick becomes aware of several things at once. First, and most alarming, that Caleb is lent over him breathing heavily on his face. Over his shoulder, Nick can see every symbol on his ceiling glowing deep, blood red. Nick feels his heartbeat pick up. The colour reflects in the liquid dark of Caleb’s eyes.  </p><p>‘What are you <i>doing</i>?’ Nick hisses, pushing him back. The symbols begin to fade and Caleb straightens, glancing around. </p><p>‘Checking if you’re dead,’ Caleb tells him, ‘—I felt a disturbance in the force,’ he adds as if to explain his presence in the room. He folds his arms as he continues to watch the symbols fade. Nick rolls his eyes at the reference. It always amused him when Caleb tried to act like anything other than a pod person… or a billion year old demon. </p><p>‘What’s happening?’ Nick says, feeling adrenaline spark across his palms. Had the occupants of the Nether realm finally come to take a chunk out of him? ‘—where’s Kody?’ </p><p>‘I’ve no idea— she asked me to babysit tonight,’ Caleb says, shrugging. ‘Well, whatever it was, it's on it’s merry way now,’ Caleb adds, eyes flicking across the ceiling.<br/>
Nick felt himself flush. He was sure Kody hadn’t actually used the word <i>babysit</i> but it still stung. He looked around the room as well, trying to sense… well, anything. Caleb huffs out a breath, head cocks like he’s listening. </p><p>‘Nope,’ Caleb sighs again, shaking his head, ‘—it’s definitely gone.’</p><p>‘What was it?’ Nick says, watching him scratch his head as he looked out the window. </p><p>‘I’ll look into it,’ Caleb says, shrugging and moving to the window, ‘now, go back to sleep Nicky— it’s a school night.’ Caleb reaches to pull up the sash, winking at Nick. Nick stares at him, pointing to the barely faded symbols.</p><p>‘How do you expect me to sleep while something’s trying to <i>kill me</i>?’ He asks indignantly.  </p><p>‘The barrier is holding…’ Caleb says with a shrug, then his mouth curves, smirking at Nick, ‘Oh? Or did you want me to tuck you in, <i>Boo</i>?’ </p><p>‘You wish,’ Nick grunts, feeling his whole body flush at the suggestion. Nick turns his back to him pulling his sheets up to his neck; irritated by Caleb’s complete indifference to potential invasions. Caleb snickers. Nick waits for the sound of the window opening. Instead, there was the sound of Caleb’s footsteps on the carpet and then the mattress dips. Nick lays still, listening to Caleb rustle as he pulls off his sneakers. </p><p>‘What are you doing?’ Nick murmurs as he feels another body relax beside him on the mattress. Nick feels Caleb ruffle his hair. Though there were clothes and sheets between them Nick could feel the warmth and weight of Caleb beside him. It’s soothing, though Nick can feel his heart thumping in his chest.   </p><p>‘Don’t you feel comforted, human?’ Caleb says into the quiet. Nick snorts, snuggling deeper into the bed. Under ordinary circumstances perhaps it would have been comforting. But Nick’s body has now completely lost interest in sleeping and was much more focused on all the small sounds Caleb is making as he lays beside him. Nick shifts, trying to ease the sudden heaviness in his groin. He tells himself he’d have had that reaction to anyone, to any warm body in the bed beside him.   </p><p>‘I can’t sleep now,’ Nick says, rolling onto his back to look at the headlights sliding across his ceiling. </p><p>‘Just close your eyes and try,’ Caleb rumbles. He’s flat on his back, eyes closed, with his hands folded on his chest like a corpse in eternal repose. </p><p>‘Can’t you talk to me for a bit?’ Nick whines. Caleb exhales deeply.  </p><p>‘What do you want to talk about?’ Caleb says, with a sigh. Nick considers for a moment, trying to think of a topic that might distract from the sudden throbbing between his legs. </p><p>‘How old are you? he asks.</p><p>‘Older than you,’ Caleb grunts; refusing to be drawn into conversation.</p><p>‘Is Caleb your real name?’ Nick says, trying another tack. </p><p>‘Nick, go to sleep,’ Caleb says, putting a hand over Nick’s eyes.  </p><p>‘Do you drink blood?’ Nick asks, turning under his hand to peer at him. </p><p>‘<i>What</i>?’ Caleb snaps, eyes instantly flicking open. </p><p>‘It’s okay if you do,’ Nick adds quickly. He squirms onto his side to look at Caleb, wondering if he’d offended him, ‘—my boss is a vampire so it’s all cool, y’know.’ </p><p>‘Why do you want to know about drinking blood?’ Caleb asks, also rolling onto his side to frown at him. </p><p>‘I um… I just wondered,’ Nick says, feeling his cheeks burn, glad it was dark in his bedroom. He was immediately regretting asking about something Ambrose had told him. Caleb snorts at his explanation but seemed to accept it anyway. </p><p>‘When a demon drinks blood, they can absorb the powers of their victim,’ Caleb explains. ‘—or you can just eat their heart.’ Nick can see his teeth glint as he grins again.</p><p>‘You eat <i>hearts</i>?’ Nick squeaks. </p><p>‘Well, I’ve been trying to cut down,’ Caleb says, snorting as he pats his stomach. </p><p>‘You’re not funny,’ Nick tells him, shoving his shoulder.</p><p>‘I’m not joking,’ Caleb says, squirming closer and Nick felt a burning hand on his chest, ‘—if you ever get caught that’s what will happen to you.’<br/>
Nick stills, feeling Caleb trace down the centre of his chest like a line of fire.  </p><p>‘You have a heck of a bedside manner, Caleb,’ Nick says with a shiver, heart pounding in the wake of his hand. Caleb snorts softly, smooth Nick’s t-shirt over his chest to sooth him. Nick wriggles back from, trying to get away. Caleb’s heat and closeness were making it difficult to concentrate. </p><p>‘I hope you feel sufficiently motivated to stay alive,’ Caleb chuckles, flopping onto his back again. Nick stays propped on his side watching him. He can see Caleb’s eyes, gleaming in the darkness. </p><p>‘Do you know why dark-hunters drink blood?’ Caleb says after a moment. Nick frowns, surprised. Despite having fangs, Kyrian had told him he didn’t drink blood and that it was forbidden for him to do so. </p><p>‘I don’t,’ he says, wondering what Caleb was getting at.</p><p>‘Emotions,’ Caleb says, eyes still on the ceiling, ‘—to taste someone else’s emotions.’  </p><p>‘How does that even—’ Nick starts but he could already feel his mind imploding. He could feel Caleb watching him. </p><p>‘Do you want to try?’ Caleb asks, voice low. Nick feels his pulse quicken. He expects to feel disgusted by the suggestion but it doesn’t come. </p><p>‘Are you kidding?’ Nick mumbles, flushing, ‘—we’re both guys.’</p><p>‘You’d rather bite a girl?’ Caleb says, chuckling, ‘didn’t know you were so kinky, Gauiter.’ </p><p>‘Shut <i>up</i>,’ Nick grunts, rolling away from Caleb so his back is to him. His body felt hot and oddly shivery at the thought of Caleb’s blood in his mouth. He can hear shuffling and then Caleb is leaning heavily on his back. </p><p>‘Just lick,’ he says, mouth on Nick’s ear as he brings an arm over Nick. </p><p>‘Caleb, I’m <i>not</i>—’ </p><p>‘Stop being such a virgin,’ Caleb says, blowing in his ear to make Nick squirm. He lifts his wrist to Nick’s mouth. Nick grumbles around a mouthful of Caleb’s forearm but he won’t relent. </p><p>It took a moment to locate the wound. He swipes his tongue across it. Caleb hisses, clamping around his body,  his thigh pushing up between Nick’s and his other arm tightens on his waist.  </p><p>At first Nick feels nothing, except awkward, sucking at Caleb’s skin. Caleb’s blood tasted savoury and metallic; just like his did when he’d bitten his tongue or split his lip in the past. Then the feeling seems to come all at once. </p><p>Nick makes a noise in his throat that he is going to vehemently deny later. Caleb hums and Nick can feel his nose press into his hair. Nick feels a scalding flush spread over his neck and chest. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it feels like there’s so much information coming in at once he couldn’t untangle one thing from another.        </p><p>Nick feels like his mind is boiling, bubbling. His thoughts come and go at random, each sensation chases another, leaving his body wrecked and shivering in their wake. Caleb continues to hold him comfortably. Nick is moving without really realising, pressing back into Caleb’s thigh. Nick lifts his mouth from the cut and blinks, seeing the skin knit instantly. Nick pants. He’s hot in the t-shirt he’s sleeping in and disorientated from the blood and the sensations. </p><p>Caleb’s hand slips under his shirt now, stroking his skin and distracting him from his spinning thoughts, grounding him. Then Caleb’s hand moves lower and Nick tries not to pant too loudly as Caleb’s thumb slipped under the waistband of his underwear. </p><p>‘Do you want me to—?’ Caleb asks, pausing.  </p><p>‘Do what?’ Nick mumbles, nervous, but wanting Caleb’s hands on him more than he wants his next breath.  </p><p>‘You want to have the birds and the bees talk right now?’ Caleb says, chuckling as his hand strokes Nick gently over the fabric of his underwear. Nick sucks in a breath. </p><p>‘No,’ he says, unsuccessfully suppressing a full body shiver, ‘but is it, like, different?’ </p><p>‘With two guys?’ Caleb asks gently, shifting and Nick could suddenly feel exactly how male Caleb was against the back of his thigh.    </p><p>‘No,’ Nick says, trying not to move too much, ‘with, like, <i>demons</i>.’ </p><p>‘What the hell have you got in your pants, Gauiter?’ Caleb snorts.</p><p>‘Nothing!’ Nick barks then flushes again hard as Caleb laughs. Nick swallows, feeling the pleasant shaking of it through his whole body.  </p><p>‘Want me to check?’ Caleb says at last, voice warm and liquid. Nick feels something uncurl in his gut at the sound of it. No one has spoken to him like that before.</p><p>‘Okay,’ he says, quietly. Caleb pulls his underwear down enough to fit a hand around his cock. Nick sucks his lip as he feels Caleb’s fingers in his skin on the first time. He gasps softly and Caleb makes a shushing noise as he starts to stroke him. Nick can feel a sparks start to spread down his thighs. </p><p>He feels Caleb’s hand stroke him and gasps softly. Caleb kisses the back of his neck as he rubs him. Nick bits his lip, stopping himself moaning out loud. Nick doesn’t know what to do at first but he can feel Caleb pressing against his back, hips starting to roll into him. Nick twitches his hips and Caleb makes an encouraging noise.</p><p>Nick starts to move against Caleb, pushing into his hand. Caleb exhales as Nick squirms against him and Nick can feel his pulse pounding in his chest and in his cock. The sharp intensity of an unfamiliar touch is twisting Nick’s gut up tightly. His mind is still reeling, images flickering across his mind. Caleb’s dark eyes, his wet mouth. The sour, sweet taste of blood. </p><p>Nick had never imagined anyone other than Kody doing this, touching him like this. But Caleb’s hands are hot and feel so perfect stroking his cock. He gasps as another wave of sensations rolls over him; places he’s never seen, emotions he’s never felt. It’s wonderful and awful, and so bittersweet he can feel himself blinking tears out of his eyes. Nick hiccups and gasps, overstimulated and over sensitive, feeling electricity spark up his spine as he arches back into Caleb. </p><p>‘It’s okay, it’s okay,’ Caleb says, hugging him close. ‘It’s okay, sweet one.’ </p><p>‘—<i>Caleb</i>,’ Nick sobs out as he feels the tingling sensation twist tight. He comes, feeling a sharp spike of pleasure tear through his gut. Caleb hums still stroking him through the orgasm. Nick lets out another shuddering breath and catches Caleb’s wrist to pull him off, suddenly feeling too sensitive to touch. Caleb lets him go and sits up as Nick rolls onto his back, panting. He can sense Caleb’s eyes on him though it’s too dark to see. Nick guesses he should say something but doesn’t know what. </p><p>‘You okay?’ Caleb speaks at last. </p><p>‘Yeah,’ Nick says. He’s laid out flat on his back and has made no more to fix his clothes or cover himself. He's trembling and his limbs feel disconnected as he pants the air back into his lungs. He imagines he can smell the scent rising from Caleb’s skin.  </p><p>‘What was that?’ Nick asks, flickering images yet to fade from his mind, ‘what happened to you?’ Caleb huffs a breath and Nick sees his silhouette scratch his head. </p><p>‘It’s nothing,’ Caleb says, ‘—ancient history.’</p><p>‘Tell me, I want to—’ he stops at the sound of a door closing below them; Cherise back from her late shift at the Sanctuary.   </p><p>‘Time to go,’ Caleb says, lowering his voice. </p><p>‘You can’t just—’ Nick whispers, pushing himself up. </p><p>‘Sure I can,’ Caleb says, grinning at him as he stands and pulls his sneakers back on, ‘—don’t think too much, okay, Boo?’ With a final salute to Nick, Caleb pulls up the sash and climbs out of sight. Not hearing his sneakers on the path below, Nick guesses he’s transformed to fly home. Nick’s about to get out of the bed to see if he can spot Caleb winging his way on the horizon but he hears a creak outside his door. He drops against his pillows, pulling the blanket up to cover himself, a split second before his mom slips into the room. </p><p>Nick keeps his eyes closed, trying to keep his breathing slow and even, ignoring his heart pounding in his chest. His mouth strokes his hair back from his face, sighing softly, before she leaves the room.</p>
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